


black holes and revelations

by jenni_in_a_box



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Academy Era, Fluff, M/M, Misunderstandings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-18
Updated: 2013-10-18
Packaged: 2017-12-29 19:27:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1009152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jenni_in_a_box/pseuds/jenni_in_a_box
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Jim is an ass, drunken mistakes are made, revelations are had, and fluffy endings ensue</p>
            </blockquote>





	black holes and revelations

“Jim, when you say you reprogrammed my door code…” 

“Exactly what I said, Bones. You’ve shut yourself up in that room every night for the past two weeks. You’re coming for a drink.” Kirk meets Bones’ thunderous glare with practised nonchalance.

“Kirk,” McCoy’s voice drops to a growl, “if you do not open this door right now you are going to be explaining to Commander O’Neil why I’m dragging your sorry ass into his office.”

“Nuh huh Bonesy, we both know he’d be just as mad at you for interrupting dinner. Come on, it’s just one drink. I haven’t seen you in so looong.” Kirk assumes his best puppy dog eyes, sagging back against the wall dramatically.

“That’s because I have _finals_. Finals I absolutely have to study for, because not everyone can be in possession of your ridiculous brain and sheer luck.” Kirk personally considers the slap to the back of the head that McCoy ends his sentence with a bit unnecessary.

“You’ve been studying for two weeks, you can take one night off! Hey, I promise I will help you study after this _one drink_. So long as you refrain from knocking any more brain cells about,” Kirk pouts and rubs his scalp, “I might even buy you that drink.”

He can see Bones’ resolve cracking by the subtle softening of his frown, although his arms are still crossed over his chest.

“Well now I’m suspicious. Just last week you were begging me for credits so you could get that Orion drunk. What are you playing at Jim Kirk?”

Kirk lets out a long suffering sigh.

“ _Nothing_ Bones. I just want to spend time with my friend who I haven’t seen in an eternity, and I know for a fact you have that exam down. I’ll have you home before 2200 I swear.” McCoy’s hands drop to his sides around the mention of friendship, and Jim knows he has him.

“Fine. It’ll probably take that long to get security over here anyway.” Bones starts toward the end of the corridor, “but you mark my words, I’m going to get you back for this.”

***

In all honesty Bones should have seen this coming when they’d arrived and Jim had slammed a double bourbon down in front of him. Responding to his protests that he hadn’t eaten by pushing the bowl of peanuts his way, and then ignoring the subsequent lecture on food hygiene in Jim’s frequented dive bars.

So he sucks it up and sips his bourbon, slowly unwinding as he watches Jim gesticulate and emote his way through a story about how his roommate had scored a zero in the first shuttle sim.

 

The next thing he knows he’s at the bar, two fresh drinks in his hands, glaring at Jim who’s sitting at their table with a smirk on his face.

“Dammit Jim, what happened to one drink?” He shoves Jim’s ridiculous blue concoction across the table with a little more force than required, splashing some onto his wrist. Swearing slightly he pulls a face and licks it off, glancing up to an odd expression on Jim’s face. “What? Attractive redhead behind me?”

“Pfft, no I just remembered what happened this one time in xeno 101…” Jim drags his eyes away from McCoy’s wrist, slipping easily into a heavily embellished story about his trials and errors with Uhura, first name still unknown.

 

Somewhere between finishing his last swig of bourbon and Jim rocketing up from the table to get another, before Bones could really get a complaint in edgeways, he’s started to relax and enjoy his evening. Maybe Jim had been right, but like he was ever going to tell the kid that. With two doubles resting on an empty stomach he’s not in the mood for studying anyway, and hell, he’s missed hanging out with Jim too.

Kirk flops back into his seat and slides McCoy’s drink across the table, waiting until he has his hand on it to clink their glasses together and knock back a swig.

“Hey you wanna play pool? Make me look good in front of that girl over there.” Kirk waggles his eyebrows and Bones snorts into his drink,

“No thank you, go ahead. I’ve lost more than enough games to you.” McCoy leans back in his chair as Jim throws him a grin and scampers across the room.

 

He’s watching over the rim of his glass as the brunette girl lines up a shot, bending over the pool table far more than necessary. His eyes slide sideways and he sees Jim leaning with his hip against the other end. Bones lets his eyes roam, appreciating the view, until he meets Jim’s gaze again and receives a jaunty wink. He startles upright, pulse racing, until he sees Jim gesturing to the brunette now clinging to his arm and a subtle thumbs up. 

Taking a steadying breath, he throws back the last of his bourbon and hefts himself up to the bar. Halfway through convincing himself it was some weird alcohol induced anomaly that can be solved with more alcohol, he catches sight of Jim at the other end of the bar, lining up a row and shots with a growing crowd around him. And that girl still plastered to his side. He’s completely blindsided by the surge of jealousy that follows. He waves over to the bartender; a petite blonde humanoid, attractive at any rate, and deepens his accent as he orders. Throwing in a smile which earns him a once over and apparent pass, because he gets a shot on the house with his drink. He hears thunderous applause and catcalls to his right as he’s swallowing down the shot, some bizarre alien tequila he thinks. Jim must have pulled off that ridiculous line of what looked like 15 of them.

Bones is heading back to the table when someone grabs his arm, Jim of course, 

“Jim what are you doing? Watch it.” He licks spilled alcohol off his hand for the second time that evening and Jim’s expression freezes comically, staring at him. Bones raises an eyebrow at him, “you having a stroke?”

Jim coughs and releases his arm, shaking his head slightly,

“No I just wanted to introduce you to Meila,” Jim turns around to point and deflates as he spots her dancing with a different cadet. McCoy winces in sympathy,

“Sorry kid, not your night.” Bones watches him stare for a couple more seconds before dragging him back to the table by his shirt collar.

“Bones what just happened?”

He looks so morose that McCoy almost wants to laugh, instead he hands him the rest of his drink,

“I realise rejection isn’t generally something that you’re used to…” Jim glares at him and tips back the bourbon, making a face,

“I swear this used to taste worse.”

“That was before you burned out all your tastebuds with that- whatever the hell that was. Come on, we’re getting back before you pass out on the table or something tragic.” Bones pushes back his chair and watches as Kirk stands on only slightly wobbly legs. The alien tequila must not have hit yet.

***

The walk back to campus starts out fairly well, Jim keeps a good pace and only weaves into a signpost once, to which he apologises. But halfway back the effects of the alcohol start to kick in and Bones wraps an arm around his waist, keeping up a steady stream of protests that it would be easier to carry a Klingon. Jim laughs, he laughs a lot, eventually easing back into giggles directed at McCoy’s neck where his face is currently pressed. Bones, to his credit, rolls his eyes and carries on, somehow convincing Jim to put one leg in front of the other.

They’re in sight of Bones’ accommodation block when Jim’s hand trails treacherously down his spine and clumsily tries to dig his shirt out of his pants,

“Jim for the love of- what are you doing?”

“Nothin’.” Comes the muffled reply from below his ear, sending shivers down his back. 

“C’mon kid cut it the hell out, we’re almost there.” Thankfully Jim heeds his words and as an added bonus turns his face to look forward. And McCoy should not be missing that contact at all.

***

Bones had managed to secure the nice dorms with an elevator, which have never been of greater benefit than this moment as he hauls most of Jim’s bodyweight after him into the pod. He punches the button for his floor, Jim squinting at him from his position leaning against the wall,

“You taking me up for coffee Bones?” 

McCoy snorts unattractively at that, “no you moron, you have the code for my room.”

The elevator comes to a stop then, and Bones manhandles Jim into the corridor. Due to sheer luck his door is the first on the left. He holds Kirk upright in front of the code pad and makes a noise of impatience.

“’don’t know the code Bonesy. This is your room.” Jim slurs out the words and frowns at Bones, who goes from tired to homicidal in two seconds flat.

“Jim do not goddamn play me right now. Open this room.” McCoy watches as dawning horror crosses his face,

“Bonesy, Bones, I don’t remember, why don’t I remember?” Jim stares with wide eyes, finally registering how much shit he’s in.

“Cadet I swear…if you don’t find a way to remember in the next two minutes I am going to go to your room and that is where I will sleep. You can have this corridor for all I care, do you hear me?”

Jim nods mutely as he frantically racks his brain, but everything is slow and fuzzy.

“I think I wrote it down, in m’room.”

 

As much as McCoy just wants to leave Kirk in the hallway and deal with him tomorrow, he doesn’t want to be responsible for the mess he’ll inevitably make. So they both trek over to the other side of campus, a slow journey, made slower by the alcohol finally catching up to him. It strikes Bones that this whole venture was a colossally bad idea, but he can’t bring himself to care as he drags Jim’s ass up the stairs to his room.

He doesn’t wait for Kirk and punches in the code that he was given in case of emergencies (read: Jim Kirk needing snacks or some shit and he can’t be bothered to open the door). He shoves a hand over Jim’s mouth, where he’s mumbling some crap about how he hates staircases, so they don’t wake his roommate, but it’s their lucky day. Looks like Mitchell is pulling an all-nighter in preparation for his second shuttle sim tomorrow.

“Jim where the hell is this code?” McCoy pushes him down onto his bed and starts poking around Jim’s desk, there’s barely anything on it so he stares at Kirk.

“Um.”

“Well, fantastic. I have had it up to here with you Jim Kirk. I’m a doctor dammit not some green-assed freshman.” Speaking of green, McCoy knows what that look means on his patients. 

“You, bathroom, now.”

Kirk mumbles something that sounds like ‘yeah’, and practically falls face first into the toilet. Bones shucks off his shoes because apparently he’s staying the night, and shakes his head at the sound of violent retching from behind the door.

***

When Kirk finally makes it out of the bathroom, slightly sobered and minty fresh, he almost trips over the pile of Bones’ clothes on the floor.

“Making yourself comfortable?” He eyes his bottle of scotch speculatively, before thinking better of it and grabbing a bottle of water from the cooler. There’s a groaning from beneath the covers that sounds like ‘fuck off’. He shoves Bones’ legs over and sits down on the edge of the bed, cue more groaning.

“Dammit Jim you can sleep in Mitchell’s bed.” McCoy flails a hand up out of the covers, hitting the light switch. Jim throws his now empty water bottle in the direction of the recycler,

“No can do, I’m banned. Move over I can’t see a thing.” Kirk’s hands are roaming in places he doesn’t really need them right now in a search for the edge of the covers,

“This bed is in no way big enough for two grown men- stop that!” Bones swats the hand away from his face, he can’t see in the darkness but he knows Jim is grinning. Sighing, he moves slightly towards the wall. There wasn’t much space to begin with, but clearly Kirk has had practice in manoeuvring around the limitations of the single bed. However he wasn’t really prepared for the leg slotted between his and the arm clutching at his waist. Bones forgets to breathe for a moment, the sinfully good body heat against him where he’s stripped down to boxers.

“Jim what are you-“ he’s silenced by Kirk’s voice at the back of his neck, shushing him, but instantly arousing.

He lies there in the dark for a few moments, eyes wide open and breathing somewhat erratically. Jim’s hand smoothes over his chest, he thinks it’s meant to be relaxing but in his present state it’s anything but. He starts when Kirk apparently notices something’s up and props himself up on one elbow,

“Bones? You okay?”

“Yeah kid everything’s goddamn peachy. Go to sleep.” McCoy grumbles into the pillow, and wasn’t this just his life. Discovering the biggest return of his libido since the divorce in bed with his very male, very straight, friend.

“You sure? Because I’m pretty sure it’s not normal to be this…rigid.” He finishes the sentence with a jab to Bones’ side, and it’s not really his fault because he doesn’t know Bones is ticklish as all hell; but he suddenly find himself on his back, his wrist in a vice grip against the mattress. McCoy is hovering over him, staring in a way that indicates he doesn’t really know what just happened either.

“Uh Bones,” Kirk shifts under his weight, and, oh, that is not a phaser. McCoy’s eyes go comically wider, and he flings himself back against the foot of the bed, “huh.”

The adrenaline is better than a hypo, which is a shame because Bones could definitely use the cover of inebriation right now. 

“Shut up Jim.” McCoy levels a glare at him, hoping he can at least feel it through the darkness.

“Come on Bones, relax,” Kirk flails a hand out and manages to pat it down on his knee, “you’re telling me with that name you’ve never popped an awkward boner sharing a bed?”

McCoy can’t help but huff out a laugh,

“You’re the one that gave me this stupid name moron.” He knocks his head back against the wall, smiling against his better judgement. He can feel Jim wrestle free of the covers and shuffle around to kneel in front of him.

“Are you freaking out on me here?”

“No kid, I’m fine.”

Jim can hear the slight smile in his voice even if he can’t quite see it,

“Good, because you know I’m not adverse to lending a hand.” There’s a beat of silence before McCoy’s eyes fly open,

“Christ Jim what in the hell?”

“What? Like you haven’t noticed you’re a hot piece of ass?” And Bones can feel him shuffling closer, the heat of his thighs bracketing his knees, and it’s getting harder to breathe.

“I don't think I've seen you look at a single person of male gender sin-“ He’s cut off by the surprisingly coordinated touch of lips to his, he’s practically got a lapful of Jim Kirk, and he can’t help but groan in appreciation. His body is responding before he’s even got over the initial shock, hands pulling him in closer, tangling in his hair, mouth battling for dominance, because this feels _right_. 

Which pulls him up short, McCoy wrenches his lips away from Jim’s, ignoring the sound of protest,

“Jim what the hell are we _doing_?”

Kirk groans in exasperation and drops his head to Bones’ shoulder,

“We _were_ making out, can you leave your attack of conscience until the morning?” He places a sharp nip to McCoy’s collarbone, soothing it with his tongue and smiling at the hitch in his breath.

“God _dammit_ , I got no intention of being your latest conquest Kirk. Cut that out.” 

Jim stills at that, lips barely brushing the edge of McCoy’s jaw. 

“Bones,” Jim’s voice is pitched low, breath brushing his ear, “I have wanted to be here since you sat next to me in that shuttle and handed me that hip flask, going on about disease and danger and darkness, and,” he lets his mouth slide back to gently tug on McCoy’s earlobe, earning a strangled moan, “it doesn't feel like you're all that opposed to it either.”

Kirk settles himself more solidly into Bones’ lap, grinning at the string of curses that draws forth.

“Christ Jim, this is a terrible idea.” But he’s already trailing his hands down Kirk’s chest, tugging up the bottom of his shirt.

“That’s what you always say Bones.” 

McCoy gives a brief thought to voicing the fact he’s generally right, but Jim’s tongue is licking at his bottom lip and coherence flies out the window.

***

Bones wakes up at some godforsaken hour of the morning and manages to stumble all the way to the bathroom and back with his eyes mostly closed against the pounding in his skull. He’s about to collapse back into the covers and ignore the world for a bit longer when he catches sight of Kirk, spread-eagled half off the mattress. 

Rubbing a hand down his face, McCoy quietly untangles his clothing from Jim’s. Giving up the underwear as a lost cause, he curses himself internally as he tries to coordinate putting one leg in the uniform slacks while remaining upright. Flinging on the turtleneck and grabbing the jacket he all but runs out of the room, shoes in hand.

 

Jim wakes up to the sound of the door hissing open, vision clearing just in time to see the back of the red cadet uniform disappearing out into the hallway. He’s on the edge of sleep again when he remembers that Mitchell was at the library, that was Bones disappearing out the door like the place was on fire.

Sighing, he thumps his face into the pillow. Brilliant plan, Kirk. Didn’t screw that one up at all.

***

McCoy stands in his shower, resting his face against the cool tile and contemplating whether this headache warrants using one of his ‘acquired’ detox hypos. 

He’d gone to the security office and harassed one of the cadets there until they reluctantly agreed to come and let him into his room, and discovered that the code had been reprogrammed to some random string of numbers he had no chance of guessing.

He finally steps out the spray, grabbing the towel and pointedly avoiding the mirror. He knows there’s a collection of bruises over his collarbone, but he doesn’t need to see them again. There’s the beeping of the com from next door, so he slings the towel around his waist and hurries to the console.

It’s Jim, because of course it’s Jim.

Bones ignores it, he needs at least a bottle of bourbon in him before he can even start addressing this. Or maybe he’ll stick to coffee, since bourbon was how he ended up here in the first place.

The com stops beeping and he checks, but Kirk hasn’t left a message. Simultaneously relieved and disappointed, he heads back into the bathroom, intent on figuring out how to shave without confronting his reflection.

***

A couple of days later, Jim is giving serious thought to reprogramming Bones’ door again, just so he can actually catch a glimpse of the man. The finals are over today and Kirk has no intention of spending the short vacation alone, so he’s waiting outside McCoy’s exam hall. The cadets start to file out of the door, a sea of red, and he strains his eyes looking for Bones’ face. 

The other man spots him first, groaning and giving serious thought to disappearing off in the other direction. Eventually deciding that would be childish, he strolls over, thumping back against the wall next to Jim and trying to ignore the happy grin on his face.

“Bones! I was beginning to think you were avoiding me.”

“I was, I had _finals_. Plus you do realise I have other friends right?” He pretends he doesn’t see the brief frown cross Kirk’s face before it’s plastered over with a bright smile.

“But I’m your favourite yeah?” 

McCoy rolls his eyes so hard he thinks he breaks something, “yeah, right.”

“So you wanna go get lunch?”

“No. I’ve got a shift starting soon.” Bones glances at the clock up on the wall.

“I thought you had the week off? They can’t just call you in like that Bones!”

“They didn’t, I asked for some extra shifts. Now, I’ve gotta get going.” He steps away from the wall but Jim is suddenly right in front of him, look quite frankly murderous,

“Bones. This has to stop. Can you just get past whatever the hell outdated sexuality crisis it is you’re having, please. I realise I fucked up, but just forget about it!”

McCoy stands still for a moment, crossing his arms across his chest.

“You think that’s what this is about? Everything’s always gotta be about you. Well I got some news for you kid, this isn’t.”

“Well great so what is the problem? Because there is one. And how do I fix it, because dammit Bones I miss you okay.” And wow, that hits him right in the chest.

“I absolutely do not want to do this right now. I need to go and get ready for my shift.”

For the second time, Jim stands and watches his retreating back.

***

He aimlessly wanders the corridors for a good ten minutes before he gives in and turns in the direction of McCoy’s building.

Jim is standing outside of his door, debating whether he should ring the chime, when it whooshes open and he almost gets mown down.

“Dammit Kirk what the hell are you doing standing there? You know what, forget it, I don’t have time!”

He feels a surge of irrational anger at that and he shoves Bones bodily back through the door, closing it with a free hand.

“You have half an hour before your shift starts, we are doing this now.” He’s expecting a fight, but McCoy just sighs. 

“You're so goddamn hot-headed,” Bones quells Kirk's retort with a raised hand, “no, I'm sorry. I...haven't been completely honest with you, and I've been putting this off for a while. I guess now's as good a time as any.”

He hands Jim a PADD from the desk.

“Just play it.”

And so he does. Jim watches as a young girl, maybe six years old, sits down in front of the camera. Her face is wet with tears but she smiles and says hello to her daddy. Kirk looks sharply up at McCoy, but turns back to watch the rest of the vid. She talks about how she misses him so much but she hopes he’s having fun, and about how she got the best grade in class on a math test. After she’s finished he sets the PADD down gently on the desk.

“Daddy?” He stares at Bones, can see the pinch around his eyes,

“Yeah.” McCoy turns away, sitting down heavily on the edge of the bed. “I got that last week. She wants to know when I'm getting back from my 'important job'.” 

He lets out a mirthless chuckle, running a hand through his hair and collapsing back to sit on the bed.

“God Jim, I’ve been thinking about it. Going back there and having to watch that woman play at happy families for a chance to see my little girl a couple of times a year. It would almost be worth it y’know.”

“Bones…why didn’t you tell me?”

“I don’t know. I signed up drunk, on a whim. I never meant to stay here a month, let alone get all the way to first year finals. Always thought I was just biding my time until I went back, tail between my legs.”

“And now?”

“Now I’ve been hit with the blinding realisation that, like it or not, I’ve started to move on. I don’t think I want to go back, and that…”

Jim joins him on the bed, laying a careful hand on his shoulder. He doesn’t say anything, wouldn’t really know what to say anyway. He’s never had anyone worth going back for, except maybe he’s starting to understand.

“Joanna. That’s her name.”

“She’s beautiful. Just like her daddy.” He winks at Bones and is rewarded with a snort of laughter. They sit in silence for a few minutes, Jim leans his head against McCoy’s.

“I need to get to the clinic. There’ll be a line of whiny cadets out the door.” He makes no effort to move, so Kirk stands first, offering a hand to pull the other man up.

“See you after your shift? Might even bring you some dinner.” Bones stands but Jim doesn’t let go of his hand just yet, giving into impulse and leaning forward to peck him on the lips. McCoy’s squeaks a little with surprise, but his fingers tighten around Kirk’s for an instant.

Jim releases him and grins widely, not waiting for a reply before heading to the door.

***

By the time the end of his shift rolls around, Bones has almost forgotten about dinner. His mind is empty of everything except the need to collapse into bed, possibly for the next week.

But then he gets to his corridor and Jim is waiting outside his door, tray in hand.

“Wow Bones, tough day?” He doesn't wait for a response before shoving McCoy through his own door and seating him at the table, clearly he was waiting in the hallway as an unexpected courtesy.

Bones can't do anything but groan in appreciation as a still-steaming bowl of soup is shoved under his nose, Jim placing a spoon in one hand an a sizeable hunk of warm bread in the other.

He's maybe halfway through the bowl when it finally sinks in that Kirk isn't eating with him. McCoy glances up, catching Jim watching him with a soft smile on his face, quickly replaced with a lopsided smirk.

“Just what the doctor ordered, huh?” He passes Bones another piece of bread, tearing off a chunk for himself. McCoy can't muster up a glare so he rolls his eyes and accepts the bread, gratefully spooning up another mouthful.

“This is good, Jim, thank you.”

“Well, wouldn't want you withering away before the next Kobayashi Maru sim. I need all hands on deck, we're going to beat it this time, I can feel it in my...Bones?”

Bones snaps his eyelids open, forcing himself to pay attention. 

“Yeah? Sorry, long shift. Kobayashi Maru? _Again?_ ”

“Yes again. I haven't beaten it yet.”

“Jim, _no one_ has beaten it. That's the whole damn point moron.” Kirk gives him a grin which is ever so slightly terrifying in it's intensity.

“So I'm going to be the first. And you are going to be there to witness it.”

“Wrong, I have a shift then.” Except McCoy is already figuring out who he could switch with, because as much as he says otherwise, if anyone can beat this thing it's Jim. And like hell he's going to miss that.

“Don't care. I have a plan, I can do this Bones!”

McCoy just makes a non-committal noise in his throat, pushing his empty bowl away. Which is apparently Jim's cue to stand and drag him out of the chair.

“Come on, we'll discuss my epic strategy tomorrow. You look worse than some of your patients.”

Bones finds himself being manhandled towards his bedroom, Kirk's hands already stripping off the top layers of his uniform, ignoring his protests that he is a grown man and can in fact get undressed himself.

“I hate you.” McCoy grumbles into a pillow when Jim practically throws him face-first onto the mattress.

“I know.” Is Kirk's bright and sunny reply, not believing a word of it. 

Bones is just drifting off when he feels Jim's hand stroking through his hair as he dims the lights, voice practically a whisper,

“You know Bones, moving on...it doesn't mean forgetting,” and then he's striding towards the door in the darkened room, “sweet dreams.”

The door hisses closed and McCoy is asleep between one breath and the next, dreaming of Joanna and her golden hair glinting in the sun, being twirled through the air by a man with a smile almost as bright.

**Author's Note:**

> I am so sorry for my complete inability to write porn, I would if I could!


End file.
